GENERAL ELECTION 2020: How To Vote

We’ve put together this guide on how to make your vote count.

Thanks, in part, to a grant from the American Press Institute and the LevittownNow.com team, we’ve been able to create this everything-you-need-to-know guide for voting either in-person or by mail.

This guide was created on September 21 and most recently updated on October 20, 2020.

How to confirm you’re registered to vote

To see if you’re already registered to vote, click this link, call 1-877-VOTESPA, or contact the Bucks County Board of Elections. You can also use the below tool.

To update your registration, party affiliation, name, and/or address, click this link, call 1-877-VOTESPA, or contact the Bucks County Board of Elections.

How to register to vote

To register to vote in Pennsylvania you must:

• Be a United States citizen at least 30 days before the next election
• Be a resident of Pennsylvania and your election district for at least 30 days before the next election
• Be at least 18 years of age on election day
• Submit your registration by Monday, October 19

You can register to vote online, at the county election office, or by mailing an application. Click here to register to vote or use the below tool.

How to vote in-person on November 3

Registered voters can cast their ballot in-person on Tuesday, November 3.

The Bucks County Board of Elections offers a list of polling places and the state offers a searchable database so voters can find their polling place.

No identification is needed to vote. The exception is if you are a first-time voter or this will be your first election in a new ward.

Voters will have to wear a mask in polling places due to COVID-19 and poll workers will have sanitizer and cleaning and safety measures in place.

The county has new ClearCast voting machines for in-person voting. The county has prepared instructional videos on ballot marking and scanning ballots.

Problems at the polls? Contact the Bucks County Board of Elections at 215-348-6154.

How to vote by absentee or mail-in ballot

Absentee ballots require a reason from the voter for not being able to vote in person, while mail-in voting in no-excuse and does not require a reason from the voter.

Voters who plan to cast their ballot by mail or drop it off to county election officials must apply for a mail-in ballot by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, October 27. Voters can apply easily online or print a paper application and return it to the Bucks County Board of Elections. Voters can track the status of their mail ballot at votesPA.com.

Voters who need an absentee ballot can apply online.

As soon as voters receive the ballot, the voter is instructed to:

• Read the instructions carefully.
• Fill out the ballot, being sure to follow instructions on how to mark selections.
• Seal the ballot in the white inner secrecy envelope that says “Official Ballot.”
• Make sure not to make any stray marks on the envelope.
• Then seal the inner secrecy envelope in the pre-addressed outer return envelope where the voter must sign.
• Complete and sign the voter’s declaration on the outside of the outer return envelope.
• If the ballot is not enclosed in both envelopes, it will not be counted.
• If the voter does not sign the outer envelope, the ballot will not be counted.

Once a ballot is completed, voters can mail their sealed ballot or drop it off at a county election drop box.

Mail-in ballots must be be postmarked by 8 p.m. on Tuesday, November 3 and received by the Bucks County Board of Elections via the U.S. Postal Service by 5 p.m. on Friday, November 6. Pennsylvania is providing pre-paid postage on mail ballot return envelopes.

Mail-in ballots can be dropped off at the Bucks County Administration Building at 55 East Court Street, Doylestown, PA 18901; the Lower Bucks Government Services Center at 7321 New Falls Road, (Bristol Township) Levittown, PA 19055; and the Upper Bucks Government Services Center 261 California Road, Quakertown, PA 18951. The drop-off boxes are available Wednesday, October 21 to Friday, October 23 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday, October 24 and Sunday, October 25 from noon to 5 p.m.; Monday, October 26 to Monday, November 2 from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Tuesday, November 3 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. (Election Day). The ballot drop-off boxes are guarded by either sheriff’s deputies or county security officers and cameras.

Voters are only able to return their own ballots, according to state law. There is an exception for voters with a disability who have designated someone in writing to deliver their ballot, or for voters who are hospitalized or need an emergency absentee ballot.

If a voter submits a mail ballot, they cannot vote at the polls on election day, Tuesday, November 3.

If a voter applies for a mail ballot, but does not return it, they may vote by provisional ballot at their polling place on election day. The Bucks County Board of Elections will then verify that they didn’t vote by mail before counting their provisional ballot.

Voters who apply for and receive a mail ballot and then decide they want to vote at the polls must bring their entire unvoted mail ballot packet with them to be voided, including both envelopes.  

How to vote by so-called “on demand” absentee/mail-in voting

The Bucks County Board of Elections is allowing in-person absentee and mail-in voting starting Monday, October 5 and through Tuesday, October 27. Under the program, registered voters can visit one of three county offices, verify their registration, receive an on-demand printed ballot, fill it out, seal it properly, and return it to election officials. The county requests that voters interested in on demand voting reserve a time slot so paperwork can be prepared in advance.

Register for on demand voting at the Bristol Township location online.

Register for on demand voting at the Doylestown Borough location online.

Register for on demand voting at the Richland Township location online.

The county is operating a general election information portal online.

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